Glastonbury Pilgrimage - 11th July 2015

Council General Meeting Gordon Square - 5th October 2015

Category - Events

A new initiative aimed at encouraging vocations to ministry in the Church of England is launched

Posted on the 26th June 2014 in the
Category - News

The Bishops of The Society are delighted to support the launch of the Here I Am initiative. Bishop Tony Robinson, the Chairman of the Council of Bishops said, "We are very aware that the Church constantly needs more people called to serve the sacred priesthood. We hope this new campaign using up to date digital media will encourage more vocations."

Here I Am is the title of the campaign which has the backing of the catholic societies of the Church of England with the full support of the Additional Curates Society. Those responsible have embraced digital media to encourage people to explore a vocation to priesthood alongside other kinds of ministry in the Church of England and the Church in Wales.

A new You Tube channel features specially commissioned films looking at how people are called to ministry, what the selection process involves as well as examining the kind of people who are called to follow a path to priesthood.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has backed the initiative: “I am delighted to see the Catholic Societies working together in order to promote and encourage more vocations to the sacred priesthood under this new and exciting banner of Here I Am”.

Fr Darren Smith, spokesman for Here I Am, said that vocations were emerging across the church in a variety of ways:

“People looking at the material we have carefully produced will quickly discover that there is no single mould, shape or pattern for the priestly vocation.”

He adds: “Browsers to our website will find details of courses, what happens if they want to take it to the next step and what the work of a priest in the Church of England today involves.”

A new Twitter account @hereiamvocationwill be launched at the same time. Organisers hope that people will follow the initiative and join in a wave of prayer for vocations. Bishops and priests representing the catholic societies are already working in every part of England and Wales and it was felt that material that had served them well previously was ready for an upgrade to reflect where the digital audience can now be found. “We are excited and expectant about the future of ministry and mission in anglican catholic churches and communities,” Fr. Smith explained.

The next Vocations Conference is at St Stephen’s House from 29 - 31 August

This is the first opportunity I have had to address pilgrims to Glastonbury as Chairman and it is a joy that those first words should be ones of welcome. Thank you for travelling to this holy place and, returning home later today, may you have an assurance that you have been one with the saints of Glastonbury, having had eucharistic fellowship with them at the altar.

Our pilgrimage theme today is Behold the Lamb. For me those words not only bring to remembrance the invitation to Holy Communion which has been traditionally made at the Eucharist, but also the chorus from Handel’s oratorio ‘Messiah’: “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us to God by His blood, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory and blessing. Blessing and honour, glory and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Revelation 5: 12-14). We come to Glastonbury to acclaim Jesus the Lamb of God, to celebrate his victory over sin and death through the triumph of his passion and resurrection, as we do when we celebrate the mystery of our faith at Mass, saying “Lord, by your cross and resurrection you have set us free. You are the Saviour of the world!”

This thought was very much in my mind recently when I purchased a card for Easter which I decided to give to my wife: it had been produced from a photograph of sheep and lambs on Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. The wall once guarded the northernmost parts of the Roman Empire in Britain and had been heavily garrisoned in its time so as to prevent incursions from tribal raids. Now, of course, the wall is crumbled and decaying and the triumphs of Rome are a matter of history. The freedom of the sheep and lambs to climb those fallen stones seemed to me to be a symbol of Jesus, called the Lamb of God by John the Baptist, and his triumph over the powers of this world, particularly that power which sent him to the cross. Jesus the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world is indeed worthy because he is the Saviour of the world and has received from the Father all authority and kingship. This is his triumph and the reason why the One who is slain is received into our bodies and souls at the High Feast he has prepared for us where he is both priest and offering.

To the Supper of the Lamb at Glastonbury, then, you are most warmly welcome in the Lord’s name. We welcome, too, the Bishop of Ebbsfleet, Jonathan Goodall, as our preacher at Mass, and Canon Steven Kirk from Ystrad Mynach with Llanbradach, the Vice-Chairman of the Glastonbury Pilgrimage Association, who gives the devotional address at the afternoon liturgy. Fr Steven has had a long association with Glastonbury and it is a real joy that pilgrims from Wales can be encouraged by his words in the knowledge that this holy place can be a meeting ground for faithful Catholic Anglicans who come to witness to the faith once delivered to the saints. It is the endeavour of the Confraternity of the Blessed Sacrament, whose Trustees’ financial generosity we must acknowledge, to ensure that this continues to be the case so that this Annual Pilgrimage becomes a witness to our Church of the strength and vitality of the Catholic Movement in Britain.

One last thing to say is an advertisement for next year’s Glastonbury Pilgrimage. We have decided to return to a date later in the summer and which coincides with the weekend of the pilgrimage of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton – Saturday 11th July 2015. Please make a note of this now! We pray for the possibility of better weather as well as a renewed sense of ecumenical co-operation and helpful partnership with the Abbey authorities for whose continued welcome and hospitality we are indeed grateful.

May Our Lady of Glastonbury pray for us. May the Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Mary, welcome us to his table and feed us with the Bread of Life which sustains us in our Christian pilgrimage.